Echoes of the Past
by TheBlindMage
Summary: Sequel to 'Lost and Found', but can be read independantly. The continued adventures of the Doctor, Ace, and Martha, with Jack joining up along the way. If there was one thing they all wanted to avoid, it was more war. As it turns out, that wasn't possible
1. Chapter 1

Hi, everyone, and welcome to my latest story

Hi, everyone, and welcome to my latest story!! For all of you familiar with my work, thanks for coming back, and welcome to any new readers!! This story picks up where 'Lost and Found' left off, but it can be read separately. In case any readers haven't read that, here's a quick recap: The Doctor rescued Ace from a Dalek prison ship, and now she travels with him and Martha. They recently encountered a very unpleasant man who kidnapped the Doctor and Ace. Ace escaped and found Martha before going back for him. She went totally feral, due to an alien presence- a Cheetah mindset- she'd picked up in a 7th Doctor adventure. The Doctor helped her get it under control, and is now wondering just how inhuman she is. SO, with no further ado, I give you the first chapter of Echoes of the Past!

DISCLAIMER FOR ALL CHAPTERS: I do not own Doctor Who, Torchwood, The Doctor, Martha, Ace, Captain Jack, Nitro 9, etc. Sadly.

* * *

"Hmmm…." The Doctor leaned back and peered thoughtfully at the little silver cylinder he held. In front of him, Ace squirmed impatiently on the edge of the hospital bed, tapping her fingers against the flap of the ever-present rucksack by her side. The Doctor had approached her earlier, asking if he could formally test her and see how inhuman she had become, between her time spent on Gallifrey and the alien Cheetah Virus inside of her. The test was simple- he'd take a tiny tissue and blood sample and run it through a DNA analysis thing. She'd agreed willingly enough, but if she'd known he would be this aggravating about it, she would've passed. She bit her lip, trying to wait for the Doctor to finish his examination. It didn't work.

"So? What's it show, Professor? Am I gonna wake up tomorrow with fur and fangs?" Her tone was light, but there was real worry behind it.

The Doctor ran his free hand though his unruly brown hair and pulled out his 'smart glasses', stroking an imaginary beard. Ace chuckled. She thought the glasses made him look geeky, in an endearing kind of way. He frowned at the little metal thing and tapped it gently, as if to make sure it was working right.

"Well," he said, "the test results are pretty much what I expected them to be." She huffed, annoyed- that didn't explain anything. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and winked cheekily. He was annoying her on purpose. She glared at him, and instantly he pulled out the puppy dog eyes and looked piteous. Her mouth twitched; she relented and stuck her tongue out. He stuck his out right back, and soon they were making increasingly silly faces at each other. They both ended up collapsing in laughter, the Doctor leaning back against Ace's legs and grinning up into her shining eyes. He reached up over his head and tapped her nose, earning him an even wider smile. Then Ace crossed her arms and pushed him up with her legs.

"Seriously, though, Professor. What's the news?" He noted the anxiety she was trying hard to hide and gave her a straight answer.

"You're a little more than half human." Her expression was openly alarmed now. Not the reaction he'd hoped for, but she didn't know yet that it wasn't as bad as it sounded.

"Does that mean I'm half cat?" She knew the Cheetah was still there, but she'd hoped it hadn't altered her _that_ much.

The Doctor shook his head. "No, not at all. The Cheetah makes up about half of your alien DNA, so a quarter of you overall. The other quarter is Time Lord, Gallifreyan. You spent years there, living with telepathic people and even more telepathic TARDISes- it was bound to change you at least a little. As to what it will do to you now, I really don't know. It won't be anything obvious, like your enhanced senses from the Cheetah. My best guess is that you won't age nearly as fast anymore." He was a little concerned, if not surprised. He'd been pretty sure that the results would be something like what they were. He just wasn't sure how Ace was going to take the news. She could be unexpectedly touchy about some things.

Ace nodded slowly. "Well, I guess we won't be able to tell either way for a couple more years, then. I mean, we won't know whether or not I'm aging until I should look older but I don't." She considered the news carefully. Knowing she was only half human would take some getting used to, but it definitely had an upside. If she didn't age quickly anymore, then she had that much more time with the Doctor. She smiled at the thought. A longer youth wasn't a bad prospect at all. Besides, she already had experience with not looking her age- she thought she was around forty-five or fifty, but her body (and mind) was still twenty-six. Actually, her mind might even be a bit younger than that, but still. She knew she showed her age, so to speak, in some things- her opinion on war, for instance- but was still very young in others. Slow aging probably wouldn't be too different from the way she already was.

Satisfied that Ace wasn't going to lose her temper, the Doctor gestured to the open doorway. "I'm going to go check up on Martha, ok?" Martha was somewhere around the console room, relaxing while the Doctor tested Ace. Ace nodded and leaned back against the wall again. She closed her eyes, suddenly tired enough to nap. The Doctor hesitated a moment, not wanting to startle her or see her take it the wrong way, and then brushed a lock of light brown hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead tenderly. Without opening her eyes, she smiled and found his hand with hers, squeezing it gently. He squeezed back and, disentangling his hand, walked away quietly, feeling more complete than he had in years. Ace was daily becoming more and more what she'd been to him before, and even more than that. It was like having a daughter again, a daughter who was also a best friend and a loyal protector and ally. With those thoughts in his mind, he strode off in the direction of the central console room, looking for Martha.

Back in the med bay, Ace heard the door open as quietly as it had been closed and, assuming it was the Doctor again, didn't bother moving. Then someone spoke, and it was a cheerful, unfamiliar male voice. "Doctor? You in here? Martha let me in and said I'd find you- oh, hel-_lo. _Who might you be? I'm ­_very _pleased to make your acquaint-" By this time, Ace had jumped off of the bed and was standing with her back to the wall, brandishing a can of Nitro-9 threateningly. She cut off the man who stood before her, her voice low and icy to mask the fear she felt both at being surprised by a stranger and the fact that it was a strange man being friendly with her. She'd had bad experiences before, things not even the Doctor knew about. "Back off, Scumbag." The man looked surprised, caught in the middle of extending a hand. He was tall, with dark hair and eyes, and he wore a long, dark blue coat over a light blue shirt and darker pants. His face was friendly enough, but Ace didn't buy it. She'd learned the hard way.

Jack was caught utterly off-guard. He'd only been saying hello to the beautiful young woman. He couldn't help flirting with her; he flirted with everyone. He hadn't expected anything like her sudden leap toward the wall, a blank yet somehow menacing silver can from the bag beside her now held in her hand. At first he'd thought she was simply someone who'd had too much experience with fighting and was used to split-second reactions to possible threats, but then he saw the flash of fear, quickly hidden, in her expression. He wondered then if she'd perhaps had some bad experiences with men- certainly he was nothing to be afraid of, physically at least. He lowered his hand and took a slow, careful step back. He held up his hands to show they were empty. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to startle you. My name is Captain Jack Harkness. I'm a friend of the Doctor's." He noted that the older teen/young woman (he couldn't decide which) relaxed slightly but kept her defensive posture. She trusted the Doctor, then. He wondered who she was.

­­­­­­­­

* * *

The Doctor found Martha in the main room, staring absently at the viewscreen. The TARDIS door wasn't quite shut; he closed it tightly. "Were you outside, Martha?" he asked curiously.

She looked up at him, blinking. "Outside? No, I haven't left all day. Oh, I did let Jack in, though. He knocked a couple of minutes ago." The Doctor felt an instant pang of foreboding. He looked around for his flirtatious friend. "Jack's here? Where is he?" Martha frowned. "Um, I'm not sure, exactly. He asked where you were, so I sent him off to the med bay to find…" she trailed off, her instantly horrified expression mirroring the Doctor's. "Ace," they both breathed. Without another word, they took off for the med bay, hoping they would get there and defuse the situation- possibly literally- before Ace blew anything up. Or anyone.

When the two of them skidded to a stop in the hallway, a curious sight met Martha's eyes. Jack stood in the doorway with his back to them. He held is hands up as if attempting to placate someone- _Ace, probably, _thought Martha. Ace herself was backed against the wall, a can of Nitro-9 in one hand and the other hand on the cap. The Doctor seemed to take all of this in instantly and directed his first comment at Jack. "What did you do to her?" His voice was halfway between amused and threatening.

"I didn't do anything! I only said hello, I swear!" Jack protested. "She's the one who pulled the can on me! Look, Doctor, would you mind telling this beautiful young lady here that I really was only saying hi and that I'm not some kind of mass murderer? Because I think that's what she thinks I am, and I really don't feel like dying today. I've already been blown up once this week." Martha cringed. She'd heard about that one. She giggled, too, though, hiding it behind a hand. It wasn't often that Jack's flirting was turned down, and certainly not so violently. She wondered what had sparked Ace's reaction. Sure, she had a hot temper, but not usually _this _hot. Jack heard her, and glared at her, fake-wounded. She ignored him.

The Doctor was having similar thoughts. He had not expected anything like this- Ace's behavior was unusual, even for her. He'd come running to the room because he didn't want a startled Ace to go feral on Jack. Her recent experiences had given her control over the Cheetah, but it was new control, and it would be liable to break under unexpected stress. Jack, whether expected or not, always counted as stress. Deciding to give the Captain a break- obviously he hadn't started this- the Doctor spoke to Ace.

"He's really an ok guy. You can put the Nitro down. He's not going to hurt you. He's a friend. He just happens to have an uncontrollable urge to flirt with anything that has a heartbeat." Ace lowered the can immediately, trusting the Doctor, but still looked wary. The Doctor sighed. First impressions tended to stick with Ace; if Jack was planning on staying with the TARDIS crew for any length of time, that wasn't going to help any. It was time for proper introductions now.

He motioned to Jack, while still looking at Ace. Jack stepped forward, causing Ace to tense involuntarily. The Cheetah must have intensified her already hair-trigger fight-or-flight response. The Doctor pointed to Jack. "This," he said, "is Captain Jack Harkness, former Time Agent and occasional TARDIS crewmember." Ace nodded stiffly to Jack. He bowed. Ace smiled slightly; _good, _thought the Doctor. _Maybe his charm will help him win her over. _He went on. "And this is my former-and-current companion, Ace McShane."

Jack's eyed widened. His jaw dropped slowly, and he gaped at Ace as though she was a ghost. "No way," he said. "Are you serious? _The _Ace McShane? The only human ever to be made a Time Lord?" Taken aback, Ace nodded and said "Uh…that's my name, yeah. I don't think there'd be any other Ace McShanes running around the universe. But…you know who I am?" Her face was confused.

Jack was grinning from ear to ear now. "Of course I know who you are! The human section of the Time Agency, the McShane Branch, was named in your honor as the only human Time Lord in existence. Well, it was started in your memory, really- we thought you'd died in the war long before we were around. But we all knew about you, as a sort of once-living legend. After you graduated from the Prydonian Academy, word passed from alien to alien right on down to us humans in the Agency. But to _meet _you-!"

For once, Jack was well and truly lost for words. He understood now a little of why she'd reacted to him the way she had- from what he'd learned, she'd gone from a rough childhood on Earth to an abrupt relocation onto an alien planet to traveling with a less-than-forthcoming Doctor to being transplanted yet again, this time to Gallifrey, just in time for the War. She'd probably seen as much death and destruction as he had, and at a much younger age. She'd always been his hero in his early days at the Agency, and now to actually see her, face to face! ….And to apparently terrify her and incur her wrath the moment he spoke…inwardly, he shrugged. You couldn't have everything in life.

Ace was still staring at the handsome man in front of her, utterly flabbergasted. As far as she was concerned, she was a no-account delinquent from Perivale who got a lucky break when she escaped, albeit by accident, to Iceworld. The Professor had been trying for years to convince her she wasn't as worthless as she'd thought. Apparently he wasn't the only one who believed that. Noticing her stare, the man- Jack- gave her an unexpectedly shy smile. She couldn't help it-she smiled back. And just for a moment, she would've sworn she heard the ice between them tentatively begin to crack.

* * *

Just so you know, I haven't seen any Torchwood episodes, so if anything I said regarding the Time Agency directly contradicts anything Jack has revealed in Torchwood, I apologize. Just put it down to author's wishful thinking. Anyway, hope you liked it! Please review.


	2. Chapter 2

Jack was a bit confused

Jack was a bit confused. One moment he had been walking down the TARDIS corridor, and the next he was on the floor with no clear memory of how he'd gotten there. Then he heard a low chuckle from somewhere beyond his sight and a voice said "Got you again, Skipper." Jack sighed. That explained it. Ace had sneaked up on him again. She'd been doing that quite regularly the last few days, saying that she was just practicing her newfound skills, especially the 'silent motion' part. He supposed the tackling was an improvement- at least she let him near her now. Although she still obviously didn't trust him, she was willing to tolerate him. And get some fun out of him, as well. She was giving him a chance; that was all he needed. He was determined to win her over.

He wasn't sure about the whole 'Skipper' thing, though. She'd just started calling him that right after they met. When asked about it, the Doctor assured him that the nickname was going to become permanent- she'd done the same thing with him, labeling him 'Professor' within minutes of first meeting him. She still called him that. Mysteriously, the Doctor had also added "At least it's better than Bilgebag." He had then refused to explain further. So Jack thought he might as well get used to Skipper. He twisted his head up to see Ace standing behind him, grinning.

"Morning, gorgeous," he said, before he even thought about it. Bad idea- her smile disappeared, and he could see her jaw tighten with anger or unease. Not for the first time, he wondered what had happened to her that made her so allergic to flirting. "I meant Ace. Morning, _Ace_." He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. She nodded to him. Well, she was acknowledging him. This was good.

Ace nodded to Jack, whom she had decided to christen Skipper, which was sort of like Captain but fit him better. It seemed that the flirting truly wasn't his fault- he just couldn't help it. Still, she wasn't ready to let him off the hook just yet. She offered him a hand, which he took gratefully, and hauled him to his feet.

"So, Skipper," she asked, "Where's the Professor?" She assumed Jack would know where he was- he always seemed to. Jack flashed her a quick grin, which let her know he badly wanted to say something flirty but was holding back. She appreciated that more than she was willing to let on. It was really genuinely hard to dislike Jack- he was just a nice guy. In fact, she didn't dislike him; she just couldn't bring herself to trust him, or relax around him. Still, she returned his smile willingly enough.

"He's in the control room. He told me to tell you-" Jack broke off as the whole TARDIS lurched alarmingly and sent them both into the wall. The Captain fell heavily, but Ace twisted, catlike, in the air and landed lightly on her feet. Once more, she found herself looking down on Skipper lying on the floor, and once again she helped him up. He laughed. "I was going to say the Doctor sent me to tell you we were about to leave, but I think you already got that part."

Ace laughed, too. "Yeah, I figured that out," she said dryly. "Do you know where we're headed?" Jack shook his head. "The Doctor wouldn't tell me," he said. "He told me we'd like it, though. Which probably means we're headed for trouble."

Ace laughed again, because it was so true. "Excellent," she said, grinning in a way that showed off all her teeth.

* * *

Short chapter, I know, and I'm sorry. I'm just not sure where this story is going. The Doctor won't tell me. So I decided to give you what I have and wait for more info.


	3. Chapter 3

The four of them, the Doctor, Martha, Ace, and Jack, were gathered in the control room, waiting for the Doctor's go-ahead to g

The four of them, the Doctor, Martha, Ace, and Jack, were gathered in the control room, waiting for the Doctor's go-ahead to go outside. Without looking up from the console, the Doctor said "Go on, go outside. Oxygen levels are good, no poisonous gasses, friendly terrain. Go on, have a good time." He waved a hand at them abd pulled the lever to open the doors.

Ace needed no further prompting. She fairly ran to the door and stuck her head out- before whipping it right back in and slamming the door. Martha and Jack could see that her face was dead white. She turned slowly to the Doctor. When she spoke, her voice was low and full of pain and anger. "What are you trying to pull, Doctor?" she asked heatedly, her eyes flashing. "What is this? Is this one of your 'let's make Ace grow up and face her demons' plans? I thought you'd gotten past that. I guess I was wrong." To the Doctor's horror, tears were evident in her eyes. Without another word, she stormed past her three bewildered friends and disappeared into the interior of the TARDIS.

The Doctor was at a loss as to the cause of Ace's sudden fury. He quickly pulled up the TARDIS' viewscreen and peered into the outside world. What he saw shocked him utterly. He immediately understood Ace's flare of temper.

Outside, a war raged. Bullets and cannon shells flew through the air as two armies clashed on a ravaged dirt plain. The ground was wet with blood, and vast red mud pits had sprung up everywhere. Torn and battered bodies littered the battleground, their limbs splayed as though they ran from the airborne doom even in death. Rifles with bayonets lay at their motionless sides. The TARDIS stood alone, protected from the bloody ocean of war that lapped right up against its shields. The Doctor stared in horror at the scene. "No," he whispered helplessly. "Not here. Please, not here." His arms hung limp at his sides, as though the sight before him sapped his energy.

Martha moved to his side quickly. "What is it?" she asked. "What's wrong?" Unable to speak, the Doctor simply gestured towards the screen. Bending over, Martha peered curiously into the screen before straightening up with a gasp and clapping a hand over her mouth. Jack, watching the two of them with increasing unease, joined Martha at the screen. His eyes widened as he took in what was pictured there. Neither of them could believe what they were seeing. They immediately knew the Doctor hadn't known about this in advance. If his reaction wasn't enough, the fact that he brought Ace here proved it. The girl was still recovering from her experiences in the Time War and her time spent being tortured in a Dalek prison the Doctor had only recently rescued her from. The last thing she needed was to be confronted with another war.

"I take it there was no battle the last time you were here, Doctor?" Jack asked. The Doctor nodded. "There had never been war here," he said hoarsely. "The people didn't know what war _was._ They couldn't imagine hurting one of their own. There was no murder here, no crime, no fighting; there was only peace. Its name is Shanoer-myerne, but it was known throughout the galaxy as Heaven's Peace. I wanted to show you a place that was completely free of conflict, after what we've all been through recently. I just can't believe this is happening. Not here." He ran a hand through his ever-messy hair and simply stared at the carnage just outside the TARDIS. His eyes were bright with tears.

Martha cast a worried glance toward the door Ace had gone through. "Why don't I find Ace and try to explain things to her?" she suggested. "Then we can decide what to do from there." The Doctor almost protested, wanting to go after her himself, but then figured that Ace probably wouldn't want to be found by him-she'd still be very angry-so the TARDIS probably wouldn't let him find her. The TARDIS liked Ace enough to hide her if she wanted to be hidden. So he just nodded. Martha nodded back and walked off. Jack, standing behind the Doctor, looked at his back uncertainly. "You gonna be ok, Doc?" he asked. The Doctor sighed heavily. "It's not me I'm worried about," he answered. "It's Ace." He glanced at Martha's retreating back, and then looked back down at the console in front of him. Jack stayed where he was, in silent support.

* * *

Martha made her way quickly through the TARDIS' corridors, walking more or less blindly while mentally asking the ship to let her find Ace. Apparently, the ship was on her side; she soon spotted Ace's door, which was slightly ajar and had light spilling from beneath it. She approached quietly and eased the door open further. Peering into the room, she saw Ace slumped in a large reclining chair in the corner, obviously fighting back tears. Even from this distance, her eyes shone bright yellow. Martha hoped this was just due to intense emotion.

Preparing herself to back up quickly if she had to, Martha made her was cautiously to her friend's side. She put an arm around Ace's shoulders, and was rewarded when the younger woman leaned into her. Ace looked up anxiously into Martha's face. "Why did he do it?" she asked, sounding young and worried. Martha's heart went out to her.

"He really didn't know," she said gently. "He told Jack and me that this planet hadn't even known war when he last visited. He wanted to bring you here as a treat."

Ace sighed. "That would be just like him," she admitted with an attempt at a smile. "I only wish I could believe him." Seeing that Martha was about to argue, she held up a hand. "I know that's not what he's like…anymore," she said, "but you don't know the person he was when I met him. Oh, he meant well, but he was always taking me places I'd specifically told him I didn't want to go, to help me confront my fears or my past. I'd hate him for doing that, but it never lasted long. I've always loved him too much. You can't stay mad at a father for trying to help his child."

Martha thought back to something the Doctor had said to her about Ace, several days before they'd stumbled upon her, imprisoned in the middle of the Time Vortex. '_She was always somehow so vulnerable, underneath it all,' _he'd said. '_All it took was one word, one phrase, and she would crumble. I did that to her, once, to save her and myself. At the time, I thought I had no choice, but now I know I should never have done what I did. I could have broken her faith forever, but somehow she forgave me. I never apologized, though. I couldn't admit I had been wrong, not even to myself.'_ She thought that perhaps this was what Ace was talking about, or something like it. Then she remembered the current Doctor as he'd been before he'd rediscovered Ace, and she recognized how much he must've changed since Ace had known him first.

"I think he's changed more than you realize, Ace," she said. "You didn't see him before he found you. He was so…lonely, all the time. He was depressed, though he tried not to show it. He talked to me about you once, and told me he was sorry for some of the things he put you through, but he was too arrogant to tell you then, and when he wanted to tell you, it was too late. He missed you, and all the other Time Lords, terribly. Then…then you came back to him, and suddenly he was so…different. He's been so much happier now that you're with him. I wish you could have seen his face when he came walking up to the TARDIS with you in his arms. He looked at you with such love…" Martha sighed a little. "He really cares about you, you know. You've completely changed him, just by being here. I really don't think he'd consciously do anything that he knew would hurt you. He said he didn't know. I think you can believe him, even if maybe you couldn't have believed him if he was still the Doctor you first traveled with."

Ace listened with some surprise to Martha. She seldom heard the older woman speak so strongly. And she spoke the truth; Ace could hear it in her words. She remembered old times, when the Professor had been shorter and shorter-tempered, dark-haired and dark-natured. She thought of the times he'd betrayed her, or so she'd seen it with her then-young eyes. The haunted house she'd told him she never wanted to go back to, the circus she'd been so afraid of, the terrible, ancient evil that had been intent on using her to secure himself in the world. Looking back now, she could see what her younger self had missed: the element of love that had been there all along, the genuine desire to help her grow and protect her from the world and, at times, herself.

She was fairly sure this wasn't one of those plots; she'd just overreacted at the unexpected sight of the very thing she'd been trying so hard to forget: war. The horrors of the Time War and its aftermath would always be with her, she'd come to accept that, but coming face-to-face with that reality again had been too much for her. She took a deep breath to calm herself before rising and saying to Martha "Of course I believe him- he's the Professor. I was being stupid. I'd better go apologize to him." She returned Martha's relieved smile and gave her a quick hug before heading out of the door.

Martha followed Ace back into the halls of the TARDIS. She wondered if she'd ever really understand what went on in her friend's mind, such a strange mix of human and Time Lord. While Ace was talking, Martha had seen obvious pain in her face, perhaps brought on by events long past, which was soon replaced by a kind of understanding, as if she'd realized a great truth. Martha hoped whatever it was had granted Ace a measure of peace.

* * *

In the control room, the Doctor had finally moved away from the console and was now anxiously pacing the floor. Every now and again, he'd glance at the inner door with a look of painful hope on his face. Jack pitied him. The poor man (well, not exactly_ man_, since that implied human, but close enough) was distraught. Jack hoped Martha was getting the job done. He didn't like to see Ace upset any more than he did the Doctor. He found himself increasingly and unexplainably attracted to the girl (woman?), with her unpredictable temper and unswerving loyalty. He was pretty sure she only put up with him because the Doctor wanted her to. If his plan succeeded, however, that was going to change- she was going to put up with him because she liked him, not because she had to. It was gong to take time, though. She had been hurt before, and hurt badly, he could tell. He was going to have to be very careful. Despite that, he was still confident he'd win her over. He could be patient when he needed to be.

Both he and the Doctor were brought out of their private thoughts by the sound of the door opening. The Doctor's head whipped around, his eyes searching the dark doorway. Ace's head poked hesitantly around the frame, and the Doctor let out an audible sigh of relief. Ace cocked her head, smiling slightly as though she'd heard the exhalation- _But how could she?, _wondered Jack. _Human ears aren't that good_- and then entered the room fully. The Doctor's eyes didn't waver from her face. She walked quickly towards him and didn't pause or slow until she threw her arms around him and buried her face in his shirt. "I'm sorry," she mumbled into his chest. "That was stupid of me. I shouldn't have said that. I was just caught off-guard." The Doctor hugged her tightly, answering, "It's all right, Ace. I know you didn't mean it." He tweaked her nose fondly, and she grinned. Behind the two of them, Martha followed Ace through the door and flashed Jack a thumbs-up. He grinned back. All was well, it seemed.

Reluctantly relinquishing his hold on Ace, the Doctor eyed the console thoughtfully. "We could leave, if you want," he said quietly. "I wouldn't blame you a bit." Secretly, he hoped Ace would say no. He wanted to know what had happened to bring such conflict here, here of all places. He was thankful, therefore, when she shook her head and said, with a familiar, stubborn look in her face, "No. I want to stay. It's no use running away from things like this. If war was never supposed to happen here, we need to figure out why it did, so we can fix it." Looking at her right then, with the determination in her expression warring with the fear and anguish just underneath, the Doctor thought he'd never been prouder of her. He nodded briskly. "Then let's get going." For the second time, he pulled the lever to open the doors.

Watching with Martha from the sidelines, Jack was filled with admiration for the young woman before him. She obviously didn't want to be here, yet her desire to help those outside overcame her desire to run. Looking at her and the Doctor right then, he could see clearly the love and pride the Doctor had for her, and she for him. He could also see what kindred spirits they were. Her expression of mixed nervousness, blazing determination, and excitement at the prospect of a new world and a good fight was a very familiar one- Jack saw it on the Doctor's face every time he opened the TARDIS doors onto an unknown planet. At that moment, watching as Ace turned resolutely from the console and walked, shoulders back, toward the open doors, Jack found himself struck with a frightening and exhilarating realization: he was falling in love with her.

Martha saw the look on Jack's face as he watched Ace and smiled. She knew the feeling. She'd felt the same way for months after she's stared traveling with the Doctor. What was it about these Time Lords that just captured the heart? Was it their strength, their

curiosity, their incredible vulnerability, their utter honesty, their inexplicable need for comfort and contact now that there were so few of them left? Then again, looking at Ace right then, with her resolve masking her apprehension, it was easy to see why Jack was falling for her.

Ace tried not to tremble as the doors of the TARDIS drew ever closer. She could hear the sounds of battle now, shots that rang on in her head long after the actual shot had faded and were echoed by a thousand horror-filled memories of a million other, long-gone shots. Refusing to let herself back down, she set her jaw and kept walking. As she passed the Doctor, Martha, and Jack, she wondered what they saw, looking at her right then.

* * *

The first thing that hit the four of them, walking unprotected into the mêlée, was the sound. People were screaming, yelling, crying, groaning all around them. Then came the smell: hot metal, gunpowder, burning flesh, burning wood, blood and filth and pungent dirt. The sight of the battle, when it appeared through the TRARDIS' shimmering force field, was too much for Martha. Her experience in hospital rooms and surgical rooms had not prepared her for such carnage. She shut her eyes, and Jack placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. The other three, however, had witnessed similar scenes unfold. They watched stoically and in silence as the fighters fell all around them.

The fight was noticeably, painfully one-sided. One army was dressed in what were clearly regulation uniforms- light shirts and pants to match the terrain, combat boots and shielded helmets. They all carried the same gun, an automatic rifle-like weapon with a wicked-looking bayonet on the end. They moved with precision, covering each other while they ducked and weaved in practiced maneuvers. The other force was dressed in civilian clothes covered with whatever extra protection they could find. They moved in groups or singly, following no apparent pattern. Their weapons seemed to have been pulled from whatever homes they came from. Guns ranged from pistol-like to rifle- or shotgun-like, and many belts had swords hanging from them.

The dying lay on the ground, ignored by those still standing. Their feeble cries of pain and pleas for help burned themselves into the observers' minds; the comrades of the wounded had no choice but to leave the fallen where they lay. Death walked among the soldiers, touching shoulders and backs and limbs, and all over the torn field eyes closed for the last time with a grateful sigh.

Martha opened her eyes and forced herself to watch, as her friends did. After all, this was why she'd become a doctor- so she could witness the suffering in her world and others, and help relieve it. Well, her time to be a witness had come. She tried not to wince every time a bullet found its target. A minute passed, and two, and three, and still no one said a word. Finally, Martha turned to the Doctor and whispered "What do we do now?"

The Doctor gazed across the battle and fought his own, inner foes. Every time he blinked, a fallen combatant was replaced by a friend or enemy he'd seen die in the War: Drax, the Chancellor, Commander Maxil, the Captain, the Keeper, Damon, the Monk, Leela, or one of countless others. There had been so many to fall in that futile, disastrous conflict. Frowning, he shook off his visions and answered Martha.

"Now, we go find the commanding officers and stop this war." His voice was low and dangerous. Martha did not doubt for one moment that he would do what he said he was going to. Feigning confidence, the four of them strode into the fray, temporarily protected by the TARDIS' lingering influence. Jack, watching Ace carefully, noted her sheet-white complexion and surreptitiously shifted closer to her side. Martha stuck very near to the Doctor, whose face held an expression like a thundercloud.

Without warning, the Doctor whirled and grabbed one of the nearest soldiers, who had been eyeing them with shock and suspicion. "Where are your commanding officers?" he demanded, his eyes gaining that wild look they always had when he shouted. The poor soldier, having no idea what was going on, pointed far beyond the battlefield. The Doctor nodded and released the man. He proceeded to head in that direction, Martha at his heels. Jack made to follow them, trench coat flapping behind him, when a muffled sound caused him to turn. Immediately, his eyes narrowed and he cursed. Ace had disappeared.

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Sorry it's been so long since I posted, guys! My muse just got back from vacation… ARGH, Jack kept telling me he was falling in love with Ace, but I didn't want to listen- I'm _not _a romance writer- and then _this _chapter came out! Ah, well. I'll just have to see where it goes.

Random Challenge! The first…um…three people who can guess what two words the planet's name is made of (hint: they're both peace-related) get…umm…a one-shot, subject of their choice, written by me. It doesn't have to be Doctor Who or even a fanfic, as long as I've got some knowledge of the subject matter. Don't know if that's much of an incentive, but there you go. Review!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **I actually know what's happening now!!! *dances* So chapters should be a bit longer now.

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Frantically, Jack whirled to call to the Doctor, but he and Martha were running now, and almost out of sight. He swore and, turning back, swept the scene for any sign of the missing Ace. The fighting had died down, or at least moved on. Gunshots came in sporadic bursts from the distance. Plenty of bodies were left, but Ace was not one of them. Jack grew more and more desperate and was about to run after the Doctor when a hiss came from a hastily-dug trench to his right.

"Hey, idiot! Over here!" He looked in that direction and saw a black-haired head poking out of the trench. "Get over here! Do you _want _to get shot?" He trotted over to the trench and glanced in. A small, slight woman crouched there, cradling a rifle and scowling at the figure next to her. Jack followed her gaze and an incredibly strong wave of relief washed through him as he recognized Ace's jacket. Instantly, he hopped down into the trench and moved to Ace's side. One glance told him she was unconscious. He shot a look at the woman next to him. She glared back, but he could tell from her expression that she wasn't really angry so much as worried.

"Your friend took a blow to the head," she said. "She got hit with a flying rock from a blast. She should wake up in a minute or two." Jack took a closer look at her. She looked human, though he doubted she actually was. Humans didn't live on Shanoer-myerne, not as far into the future as he'd been anyway. She was small, as he'd seen; probably just over five feet tall. Her ragged clothes marked her as part of the 'civilian' force. Her black hair was cropped short, framing a slender oval face with pretty features. Her eyes were green, and examined him just as closely as he did her.

Neither one of them spoke at first. Then, the small woman broke the silence. "Look, I'd love to stick around, but your friend might need medical attention. Since you guys are obviously not part of the Ma'red army, I need to get her to the med station as soon as possible. You coming?" She put her hands on her hips and cocked her head, waiting.

Jack started. He recognized the name she'd used. The Ma'red were a mercenary race, soldiers for hire. Their planet had been destroyed by the Time War, and they'd taken to the stars in their ships. They now made their living raiding other, non-militaristic planets. Apparently, this one had fought back. He nodded. "Lead the way," he said, gathering Ace carefully in his arms.

He followed the soldier through a network of trenches leading away from the sounds of battle. Eventually, they came to a ladder, which Jack climbed first before turning so the woman could lift Ace up to him. She was stirring now, and lifted a hand to her head slowly. She made a face. "Ow." Jack smiled. She'd probably be ok. He set her on her feet and slipped an arm around her shoulders. Seeing who it was, she almost pulled away, but in the end had no choice but to lean on him.

At the top of a nearby embankment was a long, low tan tent, to which the soldier directed Jack. "Go inside and ask for Fred," she told him, before heading off toward another tent. He nodded and walked with Ace to the tent's entrance. They ducked through the flap and found themselves in the middle of a makeshift hospital ward. Cots were lined up against the walls and nurses, or so Jack assumed they were, bustled around from patient to patient. Jack collared one gently. He motioned to Ace, who was now partially slumped against him. "I was told to ask for Fred," he said. "This one needs help."

The nurse nodded and said, "Wait here." She poked her head out of the far end of the tent and talked to someone. Jack couldn't make her words out. She then started tending to the nearest patient. Jack was about to try to catch her eye when someone came into the tent from outside.

She was tall, and thin, with shoulder-length ginger hair and clear grey eyes. She was fairly tan, and most definitely beautiful. Jack couldn't help himself; he grinned. The woman wasn't looking at him, though. She was staring at Ace, who was looking wearily at the ground, as though she was seeing a ghost. Her face turned stark white, and Jack thought she might collapse. She all but ran to his side. At the sound of her footsteps, Ace looked up to see the approaching woman. Her eyes widened, much as the other's had, and she pushed Jack away to stand on her own. Then, to his utter astonishment, she fell to her knees at the stranger's feet.

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The Doctor didn't notice the loss of half of his crew for some minutes. He was focused entirely on running, heading single-mindedly for the buildings he could see in the distance. Martha was having trouble keeping up with him. She glanced over her shoulder to comment to Jack and received a shock when she didn't see him following. She put on a burst of speed to catch the Doctor, tugging on his jacket until he stopped and looked at her questioningly. She rested her hands on her knees, panting.

"Jack…Ace…not behind us…anymore," she gasped. Alarmed, the Doctor whirled around- and saw the truth behind Martha's words. The two of them were alone. He scanned the path they'd taken, hoping to see their two companions taking a break along the way. No luck- they were well and truly gone.

Martha started back along the path, but the Doctor caught her arm and shook his head. "We wouldn't be able to find them," he said. "They could be anywhere by now." Martha looked horrified. "But what if they're-" The Doctor cut her off. "They'll be fine. The best way for us to help them now is by ending this useless war." He looked longingly toward the buildings looming up from the horizon. They were much nearer now. He was torn. A large part of him wanted to go back and tear up every inch of the planet until he found Ace and Jack, and God help the soldiers if either of them was hurt, but the larger part knew this was futile. For better or worse, they'd both been caught up in the conflict. He had to go on now.

Martha, misunderstanding his look, laid into him. "You don't really want to go back, do you? You're just so convinced that finding the officers will just solve everything! You get so intent on your goal, ending the bloodshed, that you overlook all the blood that is shed in the process!" She couldn't believe that he would just leave their friends in who-knew-what bloody mess just so that he could get to the leaders faster.

He turned to her, the anguish in his face silencing her more effectively than any shouted words could have. "Don't you see?" he asked tiredly. "I wish I could go back for them. When I think of Ace, caught up in some battle…" he trailed off. That didn't bear thinking about. "This is the third time I've failed her. You, of all people, should understand how badly I want to go back for her. But we just don't have the time to find them. It will take less time to talk sense into the leaders. Jack will look after Ace. He cares about her; he won't let anything happen to her. Let's just go, ok? That way we can get back to them sooner." He hated this. He could see further than Martha could as a human. He could see that finding and protecting Jack and Ace would mean giving up the lives of countless more people who would die because he hadn't gone straight to the heart of things. It was his job to see further. That didn't make it a pleasant one.

Martha understood the wisdom in his plan; she just didn't want to admit it. Still, she nodded, and together they continued on to the doors of the plain stone-and-metal command centers. The soldier on guard at the entrance challenged them. The Doctor held up his psychic paper. "Second Lieutenant Smith and Corporal Jones, reporting with news of the battle." He paused for a moment, and then proved unable to resist adding, "Take us to your leader."

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The strange woman didn't speak for a long moment, and Jack thought an unfamiliar person collapsing at her feet had something to do with that, but then she said "Ace?", and that theory went out the window. She reached down and, grabbing the tops of Ace's arms, pulled her up to stand in front of her. "_Ace McShane_? What- how-?" She seemed lost for words. Ace looked equally stunned, and tongue-tied. The two women stared at each other in silence until, without warning, the older woman threw her arms around Ace and held on. Ace returned the embrace, and they just stood there like that for several long moments. Jack, behind them, saw that Ace was crying silently, and somehow that shook him to the core. Eventually, Ace pulled back without releasing the other's hands.

"My Lady President!" she cried. "I can't believe it! When the soldier said to ask for Fred, I never would have guessed…but how did you survive?" She was truly and utterly stunned. When she met the other Time Lord in the prison, Ace had heard the news of the Lady President's decision not to flee to a planet of refuge. Instead, she chose to stay- and die- with her people. As a close friend of the President's- their mutual connection to the Doctor, as well as Ace's unique status among Time Lords, had led them to each other soon after Ace's arrival on Gallifrey- she had been hit especially hard by the news. She'd secretly hoped that at least the President would survive. She was sure that hope had been dashed, but it seemed she was wonderfully wrong. She took in her President's face with shining eyes.

"Please, Ace, I'm not the President anymore. You can't be the President of a nonexistent world. It's just Fred now, though I suppose you're going to insist on calling me Romana," said Romana, rolling her eyes. Her smile was almost as big as Ace's. "But to answer your question, the High Council decided it would be best if I survived the War, heaven knows why, so they shipped me off to this little planet in the hopes that the Daleks would leave it alone. I had no say in the matter."

She frowned, her expression troubled. Ever since the War, she'd been stricken by guilt. Perhaps, if she'd stayed, things would have been different. Perhaps she could have done something…Instead, she was carted off of her planet by her own people, and the War followed her here, as though some higher power was determined to punish her for running, however unwillingly. Even though she could never bring her people back, she made amends as best she could. She hadn't been able to save her own race, so she would do everything in her power to save this one. She applied all her skills as a healer on the battlefield now, to try to make up for all the times she didn't use them on her own planet.

Ace must have read something of her thoughts in her face, because she said quietly, "You feel bad, don't you? You think you should have done more, done _something, _to help them. You think maybe you could have saved someone, if you'd only _tried_ harder…" Romana looked down. Ace hugged her again, comfortingly. "It's ok," she said. "You couldn't have done anything. No one could. No one could even end it, no one but the Doctor."

Romana, shaking off her mood at the mention of her old mentor, turned once more to her friend. "So now you know my story, but I still don't know yours. I heard you were missing, presumed dead, that you'd been captured?" She saw the shadow that crossed Ace's face, and knew she'd hit on the truth. She almost wished she hadn't, to see the pain in Ace's eyes. Ace nodded. "Yeah," she said, "the Daleks got me. I was locked up for a while, I don't know how long. Years, I guess. Anyway, the-" she broke off, with an anxious glance at Jack, who was patiently watching the reunion. She didn't want to hit Romana with the news of the Doctor's survival so soon after her own. She knew from training back on Gallifrey that too much new news, good or bad, after so long isolated with nothing, could send someone into a kind of shock. So she changed her sentence. "-a friend got me out. I've been traveling with him ever since."

Seeing her glance at Jack, Romana assumed he was the 'friend' of whom Ace spoke. She greeted him warmly. "It's wonderful to meet you," she said. "May I ask your name?" She was in full 'Presidential' mode now, stately and polite, and in response, Jack turned on the charm. Lifting her hand to his lips, he bowed deeply and said, "Captain Jack Harkness, at your service now and always, Milady." Surreptitiously, he tipped a wink to Ace, who was trying not to laugh at his theatrics. Romana seemed pleasantly surprised. Her gaze flicked from Jack to Ace and back. Jack cold see the wheels turning, and he knew Ace wouldn't like the conclusion the former President was going to draw.

Sure enough, Romana asked, "So, are you and Ace…together?" Immediately, Ace paled a bit. Not for the first time, Jack wondered what had happened to her, to make her so against the idea of being 'together' with someone. Not wanting to make Ace answer, he responded smoothly, "Alas, no. Ace is simply a wonderful traveling companion, and the best of friends." Well, that last was a bit of a stretch- Ace wouldn't let him close enough to become 'best of' anything- but as long as she didn't protest, the explanation would hold.

Deciding that Jack deserved at least to know whom he was talking to, Ace cut in. "Jack, this is the…apparently _former_ Lady President of the Time Lords, Romanadvoratrelundar." She grinned. "The Doctor named her Romana. She prefers Fred." Jack raised an eyebrow questioningly, so she continued. "They used to travel together. He told her that her name was too long, so she could be either Romana or Fred. She chose Fred, so he called her Romana. I got it from him." She glanced at Romana to make sure this wasn't too much information. Romana simply nodded. "Well, I started calling her that when I was at the Academy, and it just…stuck. I mean, everyone used her full name to her face, of course, but behind her back she became Romana."

Memories came flooding back to her. She'd had many friends at the Academy, native Gallifreyans who were curious about the off-worlder and not into the whole 'shun the non-Gallifreyan' thing. As a group, they'd taken it upon themselves to make sure everyone knew how much the Lady President _loved _being called Romana. They'd gotten in trouble rather often for one prank or another. All the teachers blamed it on her, saying that the Doctor must have been a 'terrible influence' on such a 'primitive, impressionable mind'. She'd never minded, though, except for the 'primitive' part. At the time, she'd thought the Doctor would have been proud. Now, she knew he was- she'd told him a few weeks before. He thought it was great.

She missed her friends. They'd been gone for years now, but it didn't feel like it to her. She hadn't aged during her time in the Daleks' prison, and there had been no way to measure the passing of time within the cell. For her, it may as well have been just under a year since the War ended, instead of the many years she knew had passed. Inwardly, she shrugged. She was too happy at the moment to dwell on such things. Instead, she stood back and watched Jack flirt with Romana. For some reason, he didn't seem as into it as he normally was. She wondered if he'd found someone whom he liked enough to back off from everyone else. She hoped so- whether she could bring herself to trust him or not, he was a nice guy.

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The Doctor and Martha followed the soldier closely through the narrow halls of the command center. The walls were a nondescript concrete-like material, unadorned with paper, wires, doors, anything. The soldier they were trailing obviously knew his way through the maze-like corridors; he didn't pause or slow as he led them along. After what seemed like an eternity, they reached a simple wooden door with a small brass plate on it that read "Commander Brindle". The soldier turned uneasily to the Doctor. "This is the place, Sir. The Commander's inside." He snapped a quick salute, which the Doctor returned gravely, then executed a quick about-face and marched off the way they'd come.

The Doctor winked at Martha. "Did you hear that?" he asked excitedly. "He called me 'Sir'!" Martha rolled her eyes at him but didn't say anything. Rearranging his expression into one of solemnity, the Doctor knocked once on the door before pushing it open and stepping inside. Instantly, he snapped to attention, motioning Martha to do the same. She copied his movements.

"Commander Brindle, Sir! News from the front!" Eyes front, he looked nervously at the tall, broad-shouldered man who was now standing behind the heavy wooden desk, his gun trained on the two of them. "You ain't my people," he growled. "You'd best start talkin', if'n ye don't want your brains splattered all over this office." He cocked the gun menacingly. Martha gulped. They were in trouble now.

I am SO SORRY!!!!! It's been FOREVER since I posted!!!! If any of you are still bothering to read this, I am ON MY KNEES begging for your forgiveness!!! My life has gotten crazy lately with school, fencing, girl scouts, two churches, three choirs, and two youth groups. I swear I haven't forgotten this story; I just have no time to write or post what I've written…however, I will try to make posts a little closer together from here on in.

-The(apologetic)BlindMage


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